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Friday, March 30, 2018

Happy Friday!

What is everyone up to this weekend? Tomorrow night Chandler and I are going to an Icemen hockey game since Chandler won tickets from work. We've never been to one of their games before so we're both really excited! On Sunday my parents are coming up for the day to visit us with our dogs and it should be a fun day. Chandler and I have gone all out. We've got egg dying kits, classic Pillsbury cookies and some bunny ears for Diesel and I - you know the essentials. Haha!

Today's weekly round up post features some great Easter posts, food, entertainment/funnies and fashion. Enjoy! 😃

Easter:

I still want to share a few more Easter posts before the holiday is here this Sunday. Kenzie from Simply J & K shared a post full of spring inspired recipes including the cutest Easter egg topped brownies! This post also has some recipes for cocktails, brunch and other treats!

I mentioned last week that I'm hoping my mom brings me an Easter basket this weekend. I am happy to say that she saw my blog post and that I have done all I can do! Haha! If you know you'll be making one, check out the post below from Oh Happy Day for 3 cute styling ideas!
Read it here: http://ohhappyday.com/2018/03/styling-easter-baskets-3-ways/

I had to ask the dessert king himself (Chandler) what this next sweet treat was because I had no idea haha! Averie from Averie Cooks shared a super cute recipe for Easter egg blondies in the blog post below. They look somewhat similar to the brownies but different recipe for different preferences!

Do any of my fellow 90's kids remember the colorful bread that was in stores when they were younger? I thought it was the COOLEST thing ever! Well, it's time for me to make your dreams come true again. Haha! Nicole from Baking Bites shared a recipe for a tie-dye Easter loaf cake and boy does it look delicious and fun! Check it out below.

This last Easter post is by far my favorite. Now, this final diy is not necessarily "traditional" Easter but, it's FANTASTIC! Kristin from Bliss Makes shared the coolest tutorial for a disco ball Easter bunny. Yes, I did just say disco ball. It is by far the coolest decoration I have ever seen and I SO want to make one of these.

Read it here: https://blissmakes.com/discoballbunny/Food:
I love acai bowls! You can flavor them so many different ways with the bowl itself and the toppings! Kathryne from Cookie and Kate shared a recipe for a tropical acai bowl that I am going to make this weekend!

I have a few egg muffin recipes that I have been wanting to make lately to speed up breakfast in the mornings. Monique from Ambitious Kitchen shared a recipe for chicken sausage egg cheese muffins that sounds pretty good! I'm not used to eating chicken in the mornings but who knows, maybe this will change my mind!

I think I've shared before how much I love spinach. I also really love feta cheese. Put that on top of a Greek salad and you are good to go my friends! This recipe below from Skinny Taste combines the two and I kind of want to try it. Any takers?!

Chandler introduced me to yet another funny Youtube channel called Good Mythical Morning. Two guys, Rhett and Link share some really interesting and funny videos on their channel. I love a good parody, and these two created one to Drake's song God's Plan called Dad Things and it's priceless. Check it out below!

Polka dots are so fun. It's a classic print that has been around for forever that still looks amazing and refreshed! Nicole shared this simple but super cute navy polka dot dress on her Instagram yesterday that I had to share!

I love love love Krystal Faircloth's Instagram! Her style is similar to mine and I just love seeing what she posts everyday! Yesterday she shared the cutest little white romper that literally has it all: tassels, lace, and more!

I love sweatshirts. I can't have enough! Amanda Marshall shared a casual outfit flat lay on her Instagram the other day featuring super cute slides and a flamingo sweatshirt that makes me want to go to Miami!

Friday, March 23, 2018

Happy Friday!!!

Who has some fun plans this weekend?! I am really looking forward to Saturday because my good friend Fuvie is having her baby shower for her soon to be little girl Maya! I always have WAY too much fun shopping for baby showers. Baby stuff is just soooo cute #amiright? :) Chandler has to watch me so I don't go too crazy.

On Sunday I have my riding lesson and I'm super excited about that too. I'm thinking about doing some posts about what I'm learning from my lessons. What do you guys think?! Let me know! This week's round up post has a TON of great posts. I've also included a new section called Entertainment/funnies. I've shared entertainment stuff before but not like this. I love comedy and it's about time I shared some funny stuff on here to get everyone in a good mood for the weekend. I hope you all enjoy!

Food:

So I recently discovered (via Chandler) a chef named Andrew Rae. He is famous for his Youtube channel, website and more called Binging with Babish. He shares the most mouth watering recipes that don't look too incredibly hard to "attempt" haha! He even shows how to make pasta from scratch which is something I really want to try soon!

I would like all of us to be honest with ourselves for this next post. We have ALL STRUGGLED with making boiled eggs. Simply Recipes shared 3 foolproof ways to make hard boiled eggs. I hope this helps! Haha!

With Easter a little over a week away, I wanted to start sharing some fun posts related to it! This first one is from Oh Happy Day. They shared the cutest Easter bunny place cards DIY the other day that would add a fun final touch to the table. Check it out below!

Since I was little, my mom and I have always decorated Easter eggs. We always get one of the dye kits from Walmart or Target and dip dye away! This year my mom and dad and the dogs are coming to visit us for Easter and while Chandler and I were at Aldi the other day we picked up two egg dying kits. We couldn't resist! This next article from Apartment Therapy puts an awesome modern spin on egg dying. Check out the article below to get some major egg-spiration! P.S. my favorites are the emoji's and cacti! You'll see what I mean!

My mom has always made me an Easter basket. I'm hoping that when she reads this post she sees that I still love them and will bring me one next weekend haha! In every Easter basket is the fun, colorful Easter grass. It comes in tons of colors and sometimes sparkles! Mary Makes Good shared a cool DIY for earth friendly Easter grass. I thought this post was so unique that I had to share it. I truly had never thought of something so obvious, making my own Easter grass that is!

Now, I don't like chocolate...but THIS LOOKS SO GOOD. I immediately pictured this in a funfetti version with all the colors. Jane from Jane's Patisserie shared this delicious and almost too gorgeous to eat Easter pinata cake. I'd never heard of such a thing but it is incredible in my opinion. My mom and I have always wanted to learn how to decorate cakes so maybe I'm a little biased. :) Get the recipe below!

Another super unique Easter egg decorating post came from Studio DIY. I already have an obsession with Studio DIY and when I saw this post for palm spring Easter eggs...well it was over guys! Haha! These are by far my FAVORITE decorated Easter eggs of all time. I have to do this one year!

I have been a huge fan of Joe Santagato for quite some time now, and a few days ago he shared a new Mad Lib video. Now, if you have never seen any of his videos, especially his Mad Lib ones before, go binge watch like RIGHT NOW! FYI they are somewhat inappropriate so I would recommend headphones if you're in a space that has children or people who don't like swear words. It is hilarious though and you will be crying from laughter!

I love Lauren Smith's style. Pretty much everything she shares is something that should be in my closet. Girl...let's talk. 😂 She shared the cutest two piece set that is finally back in stock. See it below!

Ever since I was little I have always gotten a new dress for Easter. I don't know if I'll be able to this year, but the tradition will still live on! Easter dresses are always my favorite because of how pretty and feminine they are. Jessica Crum shared the most gorgeous Easter dress on her blog this week. You could easily wear this to any spring occasion such as a wedding!

I love coats. I have seen so many beautiful, unique coats this year that I couldn't resist sharing this one. Samantha, from the New York Blonde shared this stunning blue coat on her Instagram yesterday that I had to add it to this round up post. The bottom of it is gorgeous!

Thursday, March 22, 2018

Happy Thursday!

You know, I think I can honestly say I've had a really good week so far. I went to spin on Monday for the first time in forever and had the best time. I went to Zumba last night and of course I loved that! I was in a slump on Monday, but I got over it by Tuesday which is also great. I just feel like this week has been really good and it's only Thursday!

Today I want to share this really fun dress from Red Dress Boutique. I discovered this boutique last year I believe and have been obsessed ever since. Pretty much everything they carry is my style exactly and is so fun and girly! This dress is colorful, flowy, and a summer essential!

Tuesday, March 20, 2018

Happy Tuesday!

How is everyone doing today? Yesterday I discovered a new podcast thanks to one of the bloggers I follow, Hoang-Kim Cung! The podcast is called The Goal Digger Podcast by Jenna Kutcher. It's funny that I decided to listen to it this because I have never been a podcast person. I never really understood the point of them. That is until I found this one.

Jenna Kutcher is a total boss babe. It's so inspiring to hear someone take the time to provide tips that apply to other boss babes in whatever form they may be: business, life, etc. She also features other incredible people on her podcasts too which provides even more stories to share. If you haven't listened to one of her podcasts yet, you've got to check her out!

In addition to this new podcast finding, I wanted to share this floral maxi dress from Gold N' Daisies! This maxi dress has more of a slim fit but it really shows off your curves. Plus, the strappy back details give it just a little something extra. I totally just thought of the moment in the Legally Blonde movie where Elle gives Callahan her resume and he says: "It's pink?" and her response is "and it's scented. I think it gives it a little something extra...don't ya think?" 😂 But really, the Renee Floral Maxi is super flattering and I just love it!

P.S. Don't forget to use code SPARKLE10 at checkout for 10% off your entire purchase from Gold N' Daisies!

Monday, March 19, 2018

Happy Monday!

I'm back! I know that I've been m.i.a. for
about two weeks. Not this past week but the week before I went on a work trip
to Hamburg, Germany. I have never been on an international work trip before so
I wasn't sure what it would be like. I was hoping for a good amount of time to
sight see but that was not the case! Almost everyday we were at the office at
9am and wouldn't get back to our hotel rooms until 9-10pm each night. I was
definitely tired! I did get to do some sight seeing on Friday and show you guys a little bit of Hamburg!

On the last night of our trip I
felt like I was getting a sore throat and sure enough that next day of travel
was not fun. Thank you to the good ol' UK for having some Sudafed that made the
8 hour flight A LOT better. This entire past week I was sick which also put
me behind. I didn't feel up to unpacking, doing laundry, all the things.

I'm finally starting to get
back in my routine which includes my horseback riding lessons! Yesterday was
probably my favorite lesson so far. I learned how to canter! It was SOO MUCH
FUN I was smiling from ear to ear. I'm already counting down the days until
next Sunday! Now that I've caught you all up, today I am sharing this super
cute look from Gold N' Daisies. When I saw this look I instantly thought
"how cute would this look at the office?!" Since it's finally starting
to warm up around here, this sleeveless Peach Button Down Top will keep you cool and casual
all day long. Plus, these Logann Navy Capris are so comfy, you won't know you're
wearing dressier work pants!

Don't forget to
use code SPARKLE10 at check out for 10% off your entire purchase!!!

Friday, March 2, 2018

Happy Friday!

Today I am finally packing for my trip to Germany tomorrow. I am so excited!!! I went to Germany four years ago for a study abroad trip and had the best time. I am excited to go to a new city this time, Hamburg. I cannot wait to share tons of photos with you all while I'm on this wonderful journey for work.

Today's post features some incredible people (as always!). :) Enjoy!

Home:

I have always loved fireplaces. I hope to have one in my home someday! Shelby from Pretty in the Pines shared a stunning remodel of her fireplace that she recently did with the help of Home Depot.

As I was scrolling through BlogLovin' this week, I stumbled upon this blog post from Desert For Two. Christina gave me some serious organization inspo that I want to tackle once I'm back from my trip. I've been wanting to organize my pantry for a little for a while but just never did. It's officially happening!

I have been following along as Jennifer from Haute Off The Rack has her fun wedding in Cabo with all of her friends. The photo below is a super cute swim bridal look but she has a ton of other cute photos on her Insta right now. P.S. her latest blog post is about tips for a destination wedding!

Lauren from Style Me Lauren shared probably one of my favorite dresses for Spring that I've seen yet! I'm definitely going to be looking it up shortly! The color is so fun and the tassel and embroidered details are so cute.

Health/Inspo:
I've opened up a few times about my insecurities on the blog before. The biggest insecurity I struggle with is my body. I have good days and bad days and to be honest, last night was bad. I felt absolutely horrible and sat on the ground of my soon to be office and cried. I just wasn't okay. Chandler ended up making me feel better and so did Janelle Sutton. She shared the Instagram post below that really resonated with me. My mom was actually the same way. She was the tallest girl in her class and grew super fast. People would always make fun of her because of her height and it made her feel very insecure for a while. Janelle reminded me where true beauty really comes from and I honestly think I had forgotten about that. I'll always have my bad days, but I'm going to keep this post and caption on-hand for the days I need it most.

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About

Hi everyone! My name is Caitlin and I am the creator of Sparkles and Sunshine. My lifestyle blog consists of fashion, fitness, travel, and of course life with my favorite puppy Diesel! I hope you have fun reading!